ModCloth Handmade Contest - Mini Tricorne Hat

Description

This holiday season, I am going to see The Nutcracker Ballet with four of my girlfriends. I am 25 and have never seen the ballet before, despite six years of ballet lessons and a lifelong love of theater. To say I am excited is an understatement! To pay homage to ballet’s French roots, I created a festive accessory for myself that I’ll be wearing to the show: a miniature tricorne hat! It complements the lush color of ModCloth’s “She Wore Blue Velvet Dress” (link below).

Instead of felting a hat from scratch, I used a miniature straw hat — a doll’s hat, actually! I folded the brim into three corners and used silver brads to hold the folds in place. Next, I covered the brim, inside, and top of the hat in a rich gold striped upholstery fabric. I trimmed the brim with pleated pink iridescent wired ribbon. I had to fold the ribbon in half and then pleat it, which was tricky! The last step was to add a cockade: a decoration pinned on the side of the hat, usually a circle of ribbons. I chose a strip of sky blue satin with an ivory lace flower on top. On the center of the flower, I glued a single pearl to complete the look. To attach the hat to my head, I sewed a comb underneath the back brim.

I can’t wait to wear my dainty little hat to the ballet! I might even sport a bouffant! Bon chance!

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